Jonah Hex -- Review

Recently has been a frenzy over adaptations and this summer is one full of a wide variety ranging from comic, graphic novel, video game and children/young adult lit adaptations.  This weekend Jonah Hex opens and I have to say, what should have been a wild ride through the old west came across like a knock-off designer bag you'd buy from a street merchant on the streets of NY.  There were elements that reminded me of the late 90s film Wild Wild West, which was fun but left many feeling disappointed.  I'm not sure if the translation from comic to film was lost in story or just poor casting choices, but I felt this DC comic is one that should have been left on the shelf.  With a running time of only 80 minutes, one would normally wonder why such a short film since most movies these days have running times of at least 100 minutes.  Thankfully Jonah Hex was on the short side because I don't know what I would have done had it been any longer. 

With a handful of interesting visual concepts and several comic elements added into the film there are scenes that give you the impression that things are about to turn around, but seconds later that hope is taken away.  From laughable dialogue to poor acting from the only female star of the film Jonah Hex is a summer blockbuster flop.  The scenes that were manageable to sit through was primarily due to the films only saving grace Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men) with his insane make-up and the costume design team giving you just what's needed to make you feel like you are back in the 1800s.  If you can get past Megan Fox's (Transformers and Jeniffer's Body) lack of acting skills and John Malkovich's (Of Mice and Men and Burn After Reading) laughable make-up, I guess it's an ok movie.  The concept is interesting and I'm now curious enough to pickup a comic, but I will admit that if a sequel is ever planned I will passing. 

Jonah Hex is an 1800s mix that brings a little wild west flavor to some other worldly juju.  If you like Josh Brolin, who plays Hex, I would say wait until this film comes out on DVD.  With Megan Fox as Lilah I wish the role had gone to someone else just so it would have been a little less painful to watch.  John Malkovitch, who plays Quentin Turnbull, is a laughable villain and the only thing that makes Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds) as Burke cool is his tattoo.  I give Jonah Hex a 2 out of 5 and say stay away if you are a fan of the comic.